Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles
by A Pair of New Shoes
Summary: They thought it was over, but they were wrong. Sonic and Tails must make their way across the newly re-discovered Angel Island and beyond to put a stop to Robotnik's Death Egg once and for all. Along the way, they'll have to deal with the island's guardian, as well as whatever else the doctor has created. They're definitely going to need the Chaos Emeralds for this.
1. New Game

Notes: The best of the best

Disclaimer: I don't own the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles

Ch. 1: New setting, same Eggman

* * *

About a month had passed since the Death Egg incident, and Sonic didn't like how the doctor was being so quiet. Tails was busying himself with an invention.

"After building something like that, he wouldn't just disappear."

"You did bring it down though, Sonic," Tails replied.

"But where did it fall? If it survived, he'd brag about it."

"It could be in disrepair."

"What's that you're working on?"

"This is to help us find the Chaos Emeralds more easily when they take off again."

Tails went back to his work.

"You know," he spoke up, "There is one thing I think might be significant."

"What's that?"

"Remember that enormous tidal wave that occurred not too long after you took out the Death Egg?"

"Oh yeah, but it was so far out, by the time it reach the island it wasn't a threat."

"I think the only thing that could've made such a wave is the Death Egg."

Sonic thought about it, "Let's look around the beach where the wave hit."

"Alright!"

 **Soon**

Sonic and Tails walked up and down the beach and found nothing.

"Anything at all, buddy?"

"Not a trace, Sonic. No pieces of scrap metal, machine parts, nothing."

Sonic gave an annoyed sigh and picked up a rock, "We're getting no-place fast."

He threw the rock and it skipped across the waves. Just then, a huge wave hit the beach, soaking the pair.

"That's a coincidence," Sonic grumbled.

There was a gleam in the sand. Sonic picked up what appeared to be a ring. It was covered in ancient markings.

"Tails, what do you make of this?"

"It looks familiar. Let's take it to my lab."

 **A few minutes later**

"I thought so. This ring is from the ancient Echidna civilization."

"I kind of remember hearing about it," Sonic said.

"According to the different stories I've seen, they flourished until a faction of elders got greedy. They tried to use the 'mighty stone' or 'stone of power' to their ends, but unleashed a force they couldn't control. Somehow a piece of land was sent into the sky."

"You mean the Floating Island?"

"Angel Island as they call it. Since it's constantly moving, no one knows where it is."

"And you think that by sheer chance the Death Egg landed on the island?"

"Yes and that tidal wave was the result of the island falling into the ocean. Whatever keeps it afloat probably couldn't handle the sudden extra weight."

"Do you think that 'mighty stone of power' or whatever you call it is what keeps it afloat? Could it be a Chaos Emerald?"

"Of course not, Sonic. There are only seven, and if it was a Chaos Emerald…well, I'm sure they'd outright say it."

Yeah, they're not exactly hard to miss. So what, we head in the direction the tidal wave came from and we should find the island?"

"Exactly! I'll fire up the Tornado."

"Another adventure so soon? Bring it on!"

 **Meanwhile**

While the dynamic duo prepared to head out, Robotnik was still repairing the Death Egg. He was going over his earlier chat with the local supervisor in his head.

 _ **About a month ago…**_

"I feel I should warn you, Knuckles, that a hedgehog by the name of Sonic will eventually show up. He's always causing trouble for me. That's why I built this machine, to put a stop to his schemes. I'm sure, brash young fool that he is, that he'll try to steal the Master Emerald."

"What? But how could he possibly know where to look?"

"He has a connection to it thanks to his collecting the Chaos Emeralds."

"He found the seven Chaos?"

Knuckles thought back to a mural he saw near the Master Emerald chamber. It would seem it was in fact a prophecy.

"When he shows himself, I'll take the Emeralds from him."

"Good idea."

"And then I'll hide them where no one can get them."

"What!? I mean…good idea. I'll do my part to stop him too. I've been working on a few other inventions besides my Death Egg. So while I prepare, you keep a look out for a red airplane and a blue hedgehog."

Knuckles nodded as he glided off into the jungle.

"So much for the Chaos Emeralds, but I won't need them once I figure out where the Master Emerald is being kept. It will be the ultimate power source."

 **Present day**

One of the doctor's robots walked up, "Doctor."

Robotnik snapped out of his thoughts, "Yes, what is it?"

"The Death Egg is not yet ready, but your other projects have been completed."

"Excellent timing! I just know Sonic will be here soon. Deploy the troops!"

Dozens of Badniks began to spread across the island.

"I've kept that gullible fool of an echidna so preoccupied with guard duty, that he hasn't even noticed I've been building an army from the local wildlife."

"Sir, I've just received word from one of the scouts that they have spotted an airplane heading this way."

"Then let the games begin! Keep me informed. I need to finish my pet project. I think I'll do so aboard the, shall we say, substitute Death Egg."

"As you command, Doctor."

 **Hero side**

"Angel Island dead ahead, Sonic."

"Right, so while you find a place to land the plane, I'll scout ahead."

"What? How?"

"I still have the Chaos Emeralds, you know."

"But you don't have any power rings…or do you?"

"No, but I managed to activate them when I fell from the Death Egg before. I figure since it's such a short distance, I can do it again."

Sonic concentrated for a bit…

*FLASH*

"That's what I'm talking about! See you in a bit, buddy."

Sonic flew off towards the jungle.

"He can be so impetuous at times, and yet I'm the younger one…hey, there's a spot."

Sonic was flying past the beach.

"Very scenic."

He flew down towards the ground now to land, when suddenly…

*POW*

Something red burst forth from beneath the ground, and something very hard connected very sharply with Sonic's gut. His concentration broken, Sonic could feel the Emeralds leaving him. He collapsed to the ground and tried to get his bearings back.

"Sonic!" Tails shouted, "Are you okay?"

He shook his head, "Tails, I think I was hit by a fire truck…do you see what I see?"

"Do you see an echidna picking up the Chaos Emeralds? If so, then yes."

"Hand those over, pal," Sonic demanded, "Who do you think you are?"

"I'm the guardian of this island: Knuckles the Echidna. No one should have the power of the seven Chaos, so I'm hiding them where none can find them."

"In my experience, if they want to be found, they will be."

"That's a good point…wait, what am I saying? I know why you're here, Sonic the Hedgehog. Dr. Robotnik told me everything."

"I'm sorry, what?"

"You'll never get your hands on the Master Emerald. However, if you want the Chaos Emeralds back so badly, come and get them."

Knuckles ran off into the jungle.

Sonic started to run after him, "You can't outrun me. I'm the fastest thing…alive?"

He stopped in his tracks upon seeing a deep hole in the ground.

"He's a good digger, Sonic," Tails observed.

"He's also a gullible idiot."

"He's been stuck on this island for a long time, Sonic. He clearly hasn't had a lot of interaction with people. The doctor simply took advantage of that."

"When you're right you're right. So we've got to find the Chaos Emeralds…again, make our way across the island, stop Eggman, and deal with an angry echidna. This just keeps getting better and better."

"Were you being sincere or sarcastic?"

"Both," Sonic replied, a smile forming, "Let's go."


	2. Angel Island (the zone, not the island)

Notes: The Death Egg Saga continues

Disclaimer: I have never owned Sonic the Hedgehog

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles

Ch. 2: Angel Island is on fire!

* * *

Sonic and Tails began making their way through the jungle.

"I don't like this place, Tails. I like wide open spaces to run. There are too many rocks and plants in the way."

"You have to admit it's scenic though," Tails replied.

Something whizzed past Tail's head.

"What was that?"

Sonic pointed up a tree. There was a Badnik called Monkey Dude grabbing coconuts and throwing them at the duo.

"That's annoying. We can't reach him."

"I've been working on a technique, buddy," Sonic said, "Watch."

Sonic jumped towards the Badnik, and then did another quick spin which created a shield around his body. It only lasted an instant, but in that instant, the Badnik was destroyed and the critter ran off.

"Sonic, how did you do that?"

"I call it my Insta-Shield. Just a quick spin does the trick. Think of as using the wind as a weapon."

"Here comes another Badnik."

This one was called RhinoBot, and it charged at the duo on its single wheel. Sonic jumped out of the way and onto its back, freeing the poor animal.

"Looks like the doctor wasted no time building an army."

"Too right, pal. We'll get them all, but we really need those Emeralds…and I think one's close by."

"How can you tell?"

"Call it hunch, I guess. Unless using the Emeralds several times has given me a sixth sense sounds better."

"It kind of does."

"Behind this rock wall, Tails."

Sonic spin dashed through the rocks. Sure enough, there was a giant floating ring.

"So that guardian guy, he knows all about the Chaos Emeralds if he can actually hide them himself in these pocket dimensions."

"If he's the last of his kind, I guess it pays to have a hobby. Let's go!"

 **Special**

"That's a lot of checkerboard."

"This is a new one, Sonic. What do you think these spheres are for?"

The entire landscape was littered with blue spheres

"Only one way to find out."

As Sonic passed through the sphere, it changed color from blue to red.

"Seems simple enough."

"What about these white ones with the red star?"

*BING*

The duo was bounced backwards.

"I see," Tails said, "It's like a rubber ball."

"So it's best to avoid them, too."

Sonic noticed a pattern to the blue spheres.

"Watch this, Tails."

Sonic only collected the spheres on the outer region, and then suddenly all the inner spheres turned into power rings.

"Does it feel like the floor is steadily moving faster, Sonic?"

"I'm guessing we have to work quickly."

In no time at all, they gathered every blue sphere. Once they did, every other sphere levitated away. Then, right before their eyes a Chaos Emerald appeared.

"Our first Emerald is the green one."

"Now if only we could rub it in the face of that guardian."

Tails gave him a look.

"I know: he's a gullible idiot who doesn't know better. Well, before this adventure is done, I'm gonna beat some sense into him."

*FLASH*

Sonic and Tails were running through the jungle again. After jumping a pond and swinging from a vine, they made it to a clearing. A spherical machine hovered into view.

"Eggman's sending another machine to do his dirty work."

"I made this especially for you, Sonic. Say hello to my flame craft, the Fire Breath."

The machine began spraying fire all around itself.

"This seems awfully simplistic," Tails commented.

Suddenly, multiple shadows appeared overhead.

"By the way, Hedgehog, did I mention I made more than one? Time for a carpet bomb!"

"Duck and cover, little bro!"

Sonic and Tails took cover behind some rocks as flames overtook the area. After a minute or so, they emerged from hiding.

"Oh man," Sonic said, "Look at this place."

A good portion of the jungle was either burnt or still burning.

"This is low, even for Eggman. I oughta…one of those giant rings is nearby."

They ran forward a few feet, and then Sonic stopped suddenly.

"Down here. Now behind this rock wall."

With a quick spin dash, and a hop onto a spring, they found the giant ring.

 **Special**

"I was never a fan of checkerboard patterns."

"Just concentrate on getting blue spheres, Sonic."

"I can multi-task…see? Now we have the yellow Chaos Emerald."

*FLASH*

They reappeared in midair.

"This is a tad inconvenient," Sonic said.

They dropped to the bottom of the shaft and made their way through the underground tunnel.

"Hey, Sonic, look at this box. It has a picture of fire on it."

"Only one way to find out what it does."

Sonic smashed the container and was now surrounded by flames.

"Interesting…it's a shield made of fire."

"Let's see what it can do."

Up ahead was a flower Badnik called Bloominator, and once they got close it started shooting mines from its bud.

"Tails, get behind me!"

As Tails ducked behind Sonic, the mine bounced off the flame shield.

"My turn!"

Sonic leaped into the air, then suddenly dashed forward in midair to destroy the Badnik.

"Sonic, that was amazing!"

"It was, wasn't it? I'll have to try that without the shield."

The duo ascended up several rock faces until they came to an open area. Then the Fire Breath reappeared.

"Time to finish this thing off."

The machine spewed fire at Sonic, but the Fire Shield simply absorbed the blast. Then it began to fire missiles, which the pair easily dodged.

"Nice try," Sonic said with a smirk, "But it's time to end this."

Sonic began to slam into the machine repeatedly until it was destroyed. A signpost descended to the ground.

"Where did that come from?"

"You got me, little buddy. Still, it's got my face on it. Let's keep going."

They followed the path into another tunnel. They rolled through it, and at the end was yet another giant ring.

 **Special**

"And here we are yet again."

"This place makes me dizzy, Sonic."

"I'll be over quick, pal. And our reward is the purple Chaos Emerald."

*FLASH*

They continued their trek.

"Three down already. This guardian guy didn't do a very good job hiding them."

"Uh, Sonic? Look…"

"Oh, great…water. Let's avoid that, shall we?"

"Actually, I think we'll have to go in. I don't see any other way to go from here."

"Okay, let's take a look."

They dove underwater, but the path was blocked. Tails helped to boost Sonic back out.

"Are we really stuck now?"

"Wait a minute, Sonic, there's a hole in this wall."

Inside the hole was a button.

"This seems really out of place here."

"I always say that it's best not to question such things, Tails."

When they pressed the button, the water was drained, and the wall retracted.

"And off we go again…oh come on!"

"Look at that, more water. I'm sure your fire shield will disappear if you go in."

"Let's try to find another way first."

So Sonic and Tails ascended a waterfall, exploring the crooks and crannies of the area.

"Here's a different shield, Sonic. It has a lightning bolt on it."

"Let's try it out."

Sonic was now surrounded by electricity. They kept walking until they came to a cliff too high to jump up. Sonic jumped, and then using the shield he did a midair jump to make it up. They kept walking as Tails looked the shield over.

"A double jump? That's cool! I wonder if that's all this Thunder Shield does."

Just then, several rings came flying towards Sonic.

"Amazing! It also acts as a ring magnet."

"That certainly saves time…did we just go in a circle or something?"

More water lay ahead of them. On top of that, there were several Badniks circling below. They looked like blue worms, and were called Catakiller, Jr.

"If this is the only way. Then let's get to fighting!" Sonic dived into the water, and then there was a bright flash of light. The Badniks were gone. Sonic decided to spin dash through the water and found a path leading to land. Tails quickly followed, and couldn't contain his excitement.

"Sonic, did you see?"

"What? That flash of light?"

"Exactly! When you jumped into the water, your lightning shield dispersed. When it did so, it sent a wave of electricity through the water that destroyed the Badniks. Isn't that incredible?!"

"Okay, I think you need to calm down, pal."

As they continued their trek, they took out every Badnik they came across. Finally, they came to another underground tunnel.

"Something tells me this leads to a point of no return."

"How can you tell?" Tails asked, while Sonic picked up another fire shield.

"Call it a hunch. Let's go!"

They rushed through the tunnel and emerged into a clearing. The duo looked around, seeing nothing out of the ordinary.

"I guess I was wrong, Tails. Let's keep it up."

Just as he said that, though, they heard the noise of something flying overhead. It was a massive flying fortress.

"Sonic!" Robotnik's voice rang out from who knows where, "I brought you a little something. FIRE!"

The flying fortress began dropping multiple bombs. Sonic and Tails did their best to keep pace ahead of said bombs.

"Talk about overkill! You okay, Tails?"

"I'm going as fast as I can, Sonic!"

The bombs seemed to be getting closer.

"Time to kick it up a notch!"

Sonic grabbed Tails by the hand and sped up even faster. Soon, the fortress was out of bombs.

"Curses! I knew I should've brought more than one airship. Never mind! I'll deal with you myself!"

"About time, Eggman! Stop hiding behind your machines!"

As the flying fortress rose higher into the air, the duo ran through a line of trees. An almost otherworldly sound was emanating from beyond the flaming landscape. They crossed a bridge and came to a stop in front of a large waterfall.

"Where's he hiding now?"

Suddenly, the Eggmobile burst forth from behind the waterfall. It was inside what was essentially a large blue version of itself, except for two large cannons. One of the cannons pointed at the bridge and shot out a fireball, burning it to cinders.

"Say hello to my Flame Mobile, Sonic! How about we play a game?"

The mobile disappeared behind the waterfall.

"Be careful, Sonic."

"Don't worry, Tails. He doesn't know what he's dealing with."

After a few seconds, the mobile re-emerged and began shooting fireballs. Sonic dodged a few and dealt the mobile a blow. In retaliation, Robotnik began firing even more fireballs. But…

"The fire's just going around you. What are you playing at!?"

"Get used to this fire shield, Eggman," Sonic taunted, "I'm sure you'll be seeing it more than once."

"Looks like your latest invention is rendered moot, doctor."

Robotnik was simply speechless. He barely noticed that Sonic was now wailing on the mobile. In about a minute, the mobile was now malfunctioning. The doctor seemed to regain his composure.

"You win this round, Sonic, but I have more tricks up my sleeve. Have fun trying to get to my Launch Base. HO HO HO HO!"

He managed to steer the mobile into the distance as pieces began falling off.

"Well that was a fight. And look, a floating capsule."

"I'll get this one, Sonic."

Tails flew up and released the birds contained within the capsule.

"I sure hope it rains soon, Tails. I hate the thought of leaving the jungle ablaze like this."

"I think it will in no time, Sonic. And as a result, the jungle will regrow better than ever."

They walked on a bit and came to another wooden bridge.

"Where do we go from here, Sonic?"

"How about down?" a voice called out.

They looked up to see the echidna guardian standing atop a ledge, overlooking them.

"Don't mess with us, pal. It was Eggman who set your island on fire."

"I'll speak with him soon enough. I can sense you've already found some of the Chaos Emeralds. You're better than I thought you'd be. The doctor did tell me one thing, though. He mentioned that you were bad at swimming."

"Oh no," Sonic groaned, "Don't tell me."

Knuckles was, in fact, standing next to another button. He chuckled for a second, and then hit the button, causing the bridge to collapse.

"Where do you think we're going?" Tails shouted.

"I dunno, buddy, but I'm sure it's gonna suck."

They screamed as the fell to the depths.


	3. HydroCity (confirmed)

Notes: It's been too long

Disclaimer: I definitely do NOT own the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles

Ch. 3: It's pronounced Hydro City

* * *

Sonic and Tails were still falling, down into wherever the waterfall led. After what seemed some time, they splashed down into deep water. Just as Sonic was reaching the bottom, a pair of pufferfish Badniks called Pointdexter slowly swam towards him. Sonic managed to take out one, but the other puffed up, exposing its spikes. Sonic tried to back up, while at the same time looking for air bubbles. The remaining Pointdexter deflated, and from up above, Tails destroyed it with his tails. Tails then pointed to a button behind Sonic. They jumped over and Sonic pressed the button. Suddenly, the wall withdrew, and then the water rushed forward, taking the duo through a tunnel.

 **Meanwhile**

"What's the idea of setting my jungle on fire?"

"Knuckles, my friend," Robotnik replied, "Rest assured, my machines simply got carried away in their attempt to stop Sonic from progressing any further."

"He's already found some of the Chaos Emeralds."

Robotnik looked nervous for a second, but composed himself and replied, "As was to be expected of him...But you did send him to that underground area filled with water, did you not?"

"Yes, but even with his inability to swim, what if he finds all seven Emeralds?"

"I'm working on that problem right now. Just go down there and keep an eye on them, while I finish up my projects."

Knuckles stilled look rather grumpy, but nodded as he took off.

"Boy is he getting pushy. How ARE my projects going, anyway?"

One of his robots walked up, "The Death Egg should be ready in a few days, doctor, but your other projects require more time."

"I might have known. Looks like I'll need more troops."

 **Back to our heroes**

Sonic and Tails were propelled through a tunnel by a torrent of water. At the end of the tunnel, they were flying through the air…only to land in even more water. Tails began swimming, while Sonic just had an annoyed look on his face. He then spin dashed until he came across an item box with a picture of a bubble on it. He now had a large bubble surrounding him like shield, just like the previous ones made of fire and electricity.

"Hey, I can breathe. Where did Tails go?"

He had ended up passing Tails with his spin dash. Tails was swimming as fast as he could, especially since some red piranha-type Badniks called Mega Chopper were following him. Sonic began bouncing up and down, smashing the Badniks.

"We need to get you to the surface quick, buddy."

Blocking the way was a Badnik called Blastoid, a cross between a shellfish and a cannon. It fired three bullets at Sonic, but they ricocheted off the bubble shield. Sonic spin-dashed into the Badnik and continued into a tunnel. Just as they entered the underwater tunnel, a huge propeller descended from the ceiling and pushed them through the tunnel. Tails looked like he was struggling to hold his breath. Fortunately, the tunnel ended, and the pair was sent shooting into the air by a water spout. When they landed, Sonic rushed to Tails' side.

"You okay, Tails?"

Tails coughed a lot, then took several deep breathes.

"I think we should try to avoid water if we can, Sonic."

"I couldn't agree more, buddy."

The proceeded through the ruins, collecting rings and looking for secret passages, while staying above water. More Badniks appeared to cause trouble: the swarming mosquito-like Buggernaut, and the flying cross between a shark and a torpedo Jawz. Sonic jumped and then with the aid of the bubble shield, bounced up high to take out the various Badniks. With them out of the way, they continued their search.

"I can't believe that bubble shield allows you to breathe underwater."

"Not to mention that bounce attack. I'll have to remember it for later."

"Although I don't see how a bubble can constantly provide you with air."

"Tails…"

"I know, don't think about it too hard."

Sonic's quills bristled, "I've got a feeling…over there."

"That's a wall, Sonic."

He smirked, "You sure about that?"

Sonic walked through the wall.

"I guess I should've seen that coming. This place is full of surprises. What better place to hide one of these giant rings?"

 **Special**

"Orange and grey? That clashes so much."

"How would you know, Sonic?" Tails said with a laugh.

"I happen to be an expert in colors. I swear these pocket dimension things are getting bigger and faster."

"I think it's just adding more red spheres."

"And blue makes Chaos Emerald number four."

*FLASH*

"Now that we have that taken care of, Sonic, I was just thinking –"

The floor gave out beneath their feet, and they found themselves in a small room with a strange pillar in the middle. The water was just high enough that they had to jump up to get any air. Tails looked at the pillar, and then at Sonic with a quizzical look. Sonic just shrugged in response. Right at that moment, a large round robot swooped down from the ceiling. The duo managed to jump over it as it swept past them. Sonic even got in an attack blow. The robot then planted itself atop the central pillar.

"Enjoying your bath, Sonic? Let me help you out with my whirlpool machine, Big Shaker."

The pillar began to slowly spin. It was actually a turbine. Tails pointed frantically at the robot.

"You don't have to tell me twice…or rather at all since you're holding your breath."

Sonic dealt a few more blows, but the turbine was spinning faster now, and the pair was swept up in the current.

"That's not my kind of spinning," Sonic said.

The robot quickly detached itself and zoomed towards the dizzy heroes. Sonic started to bounce in place as the robot came towards him. When it was close, he repeatedly smashed against it until it was scrap. As the robot lost power, Robotnik spoke again.

"I hope that despite the water you're as fast as you claim to be, Sonic. Don't want you gone just yet…"

Suddenly, the duo was sucked down into another underwater tunnel. Sonic led the way with a spin-dash, through some weak walls, and up an incline until they were above water.

"That actually wasn't too bad," Sonic said.

Just then, there was a loud rumble.

"Sonic," Tails said, sounding nervous, "The back wall is moving!"

"Well, this puts a damper on my exiting the water accomplishment. Come on, Tails!"

They ran as fast as they could through the tunnel, which had several twists and turns, as the wall advanced on them. They came to a dead end…

"This can't be a dead end," Tails said, "Not with all the other hidden or breakable walls we've seen."

"No better time to find out!"

Sonic dashed through several walls until they came to a slightly more open area. There was a loud thump, meaning the wall must have stopped. There was a cylindrical rotating platform above.

"Looks like nowhere to go but up," Sonic said.

"Sonic, I was going to ask you, these are clearly ancient ruins. What do you think this could've been?"

They jumped onto the platform.

"A really old city, I guess."

When they jumped again, large fans emerged from the walls to propel them upward.

"I suppose so, considering it's underground and underwater. Maybe you should give it a name like you tend to do."

A robot hand sprung up from the floor. It launched them forward along a blue pipe.

"Already ahead of you, buddy. I'll call it HydroCity."

"Hydrocity?"

"No, Hydro City, because we just said it was probably a city…and the hydro part is self-explanatory, unfortunately."

They kept moving deeper into the ruins, and then they ran into a hermit crab Badnik called Turbo Spiker. It rolled around on treads and had a long, spiky, silver shell on its back. When the duo got close, it shot its shell in their direction. Unfortunately, the shot was too far above their heads, so Sonic did a spin attack to destroy it. They then reached another vertical corridor with more rotating platforms, except now the walls were lined with spikes.

"I hope we find a way out of here soon, Tails. I'm getting tired of nothing but water."

They jumped down to a small bridge, but there seemed to be nowhere else to go.

"Talk about a design flaw," Sonic said.

"Not if you know the entire design," replied a voice.

It was Knuckles again, and he was standing on the opposite side of a wall. Like before, there was a large button next to him.

"Here we go again. What is it now, knucklehead?"

"I'm just here to help you move along," he replied, and then he pressed the button.

The bridge collapsed, sending them down into the water.

"I knew it," Sonic grumbled.

A huge propeller came out of the wall, sending the duo forward though the tunnel. The tunnel soon opened up into a large room, and the water level dropped down to their only slightly above their heads.

"So you managed to not drown," Robotnik joked.

His mobile was outfitted with a propeller on the bottom and depth charges on the side.

"Say hello to the Screw Mobile, Hedgehog. I'll see you sinking to the bottom of these ruins yet."

"How, when we're in an area where the water is shallow?" Sonic taunted.

"Yes…well…you know what I mean!"

The doctor began to drop depth charges into the water. As the duo dodged the blasts, Sonic used the bubble shield to bounce high enough to hit the mobile.

"Where do you keep finding these blasted shields?!"

The mobile descended until the propeller was in the water. It began spinning very quickly, and as the mobile rose back up into the air, it pulled a large column of water with it. Sonic and Tails were now taking advantage of the fact it was closer to the ground to hit the mobile, and at the same time, avoiding the propeller. In no time at all, another mobile model was in disrepair.

"You may have made it through the underwater ruins, but you can't stop my plans. They're already in motion!"

Robotnik took off into the distance, and like before, a capsule was left behind.

"Let's get these critters free, Tails."

"Right, Sonic."

They both jumped onto the capsule and released the animals.

"Now that's taken care of," Tails said, "How do we get out of here?"

Suddenly, there was a loud rumble.

Sonic sighed, "You just had to ask, didn't you, Tails?"

A torrential water spout shot up from below, sending the heroes flying (and screaming) into the air.

"As long as we don't land in more water!"


	4. Marble Garden (remember?)

Notes: Back on track

Disclaimer: I have never owned the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles

Ch. 4: It's like Marble, but with a Garden

* * *

It felt like they had been falling for quite a while, but at last, the ground came rushing into view. This new area was, like the last, made up of ancient ruins, but instead of water…

"Finally," Sonic said, "Grass at last. Let's roll, Tails."

Sonic curled into a ball and rolled down the nearest hill, while Tails flew to keep up. They screeched to a halt in front of a pool of some strange substance.

"A whole pit full of barbecue sauce," Sonic joked.

"Oh, come on, Sonic," Tails said, "It's just mud…although I almost mistook it for tar or oil."

"Either way, best not get stuck in it. Let's take this rotating platform."

With a few quick jumps, they continued on their way. They passed by a row of spikes, when suddenly, something shot at them.

"Where did that come from?" Tails wondered.

"I'm gonna find out," Sonic said, as he looked around.

Another shot came from nowhere, and Sonic jumped to avoid it, but…

"Sonic, you jumped too far ahead! Look out for those spikes!"

"Good thing I have rings!"

*BOING*

Sonic landed back on the ground.

"What just happened?"

"Those spikes were springy, Sonic."

A Badnik called Spiker poked out of the ground to fire another projectile. Sonic was ready, though, and spin-dashed into the Badnik.

"Well, that was unexpected," Sonic said, "This place is a big change from the last area after all."

"I suppose you want to name this place?"

"It reminds me of those ruins back home that I called Marble."

"That's it? Marble?"

"I wasn't as creative back then. Now, however, I'm gonna call this place Marble Garden."

"That does sound catchy."

Just ahead was a round, blue, fish-like Badnik called Bubbles. After a few seconds, a series of spikes emerged from all over its body. It was followed by two more Bubbles. As they floated towards Sonic, he seemed to be thinking of something. Once they got close enough, and their spikes were retracted, Sonic jumped into every one, one after the other.

"Impressive, Sonic," Tails said.

"I'm trying to refine my striking abilities. Let's keep moving."

They ran past more ruins, and several grasshopper Badniks strangely called Mantis popped up out of the ground. Tails used his tails effectively to take them out.

"Way to go buddy. I –" Sonic felt something.

"Hold the phone, pal, I think there's one of those giant ring things nearby."

"Which way, Sonic?"

Sonic did a quick look around.

"This way for sure."

They ran for a bit, but then they came upon a giant statue head called Strange Relief.

"This statue must be blocking the way," Tails said.

Just then, the statue shot an arrow out of its mouth.

"I didn't see that one coming," Sonic said, "Now how do we get past it?"

"That jewel, or light, or whatever it is, on its forehead. It flashes whenever it fires. Try hitting it."

As soon as it launched its arrow, Sonic jumped into the jewel. The "statue" still kept firing.

"I guess it takes multiple hits," Sonic said, "Figures."

Sonic waited for another opening to strike again…and again. There was a popping sound, and then the ground opened up beneath them.

"Third time's the charm, they say," Tails said.

"It's coming from over here. Yet another hidden room, of course."

 **Special**

"I'm glad we're at least on the ground, Tails. Can you imagine how frustrating this would be if we were floating or something?"

"It'd be very annoying, Sonic. Still, you seem to be getting through these really quickly."

"The sooner we get the Chaos Emeralds, the better. And as of now, we have the silver Emerald."

*FLASH*

"One step closer, buddy. Hey, look at this."

It looked like a large, flat, blue top.

"I've never seen anything like it," Tails said.

"I'm gonna try it out."

Sonic stood atop the device…nothing happened.

"It looks like a top. Maybe you have to spin it yourself," Tails suggested.

Sonic began to run on the top. It slowly lifted into the air and levitated forward.

"Interesting and fascinating," Tails observed, "Something so technical for an area of ancient ruins."

"Not very fast though," Sonic added, as he drifted to another level of the ruins.

As soon as the top touched the ground, it sped across at an accelerated rate.

"Scratch that, Tails!"

The top demolished some brittle ruins and spun down a column. Sonic finally jumped off and kept moving forward. Tails managed to catch up, and they found themselves in a large underground opening. A large machine with two drills floated in the air.

"Greetings, Sonic," Robotnik's voice rung out, "This is my Tunnelbot. It's going to bring the house down!"

"Wow," Sonic snarked, "Didn't see that joke coming."

Sonic gave the Tunnelbot a few hits before it ascended to the ceiling and burrowed in. This caused pieces of the ceiling to fall around the duo. Tunnelbot emerged and began to tunnel through the ground, but Sonic and Tails kept hitting it. It was too much for the robot, and it soon broke apart.

"I guess that's what comes from not overseeing your robots," Tails said.

"He's a busy man, Tails, or else he'd do things himself, I'm sure."

Moving on, they ascended a few steep hills with the aid of a pulley system that had been installed. They kept going on, crashing through weak walls, and using blue wheels to create reachable platforms. They then came to room similar to the one where they found Tunnelbot. And just like before, the ground began to shake.

*SMASH*

The Egg Mobile erupted from the ground, and was now equipped with a giant drill.

"I'm here, Sonic!" Robotnik declared, "Say hello to my Drill Mobile."

Before Sonic or Tails could react, the Mobile drilled into the ceiling, and the entire landscape was being affected.

"We better get moving, pal," Sonic said.

They ran through the landscape as parts of the ruins began to descend. More and more Badniks advanced on the duo, only to be destroyed as they made their way to higher ground.

"It seems such a waste that Eggman is destroying these ancient ruins," Tails said, "Think about what could be learned from them."

"You know Eggman," Sonic replied, "If it doesn't involve power, then he's not interested."

They at last came to a wide open area. That was when the Drill Mobile reappeared.

"I had hoped you would get crushed somewhere in there," Robotnik said, "but I also knew better."

*SMASH*

"Hey! No fair attacking my Mobile while I'm taunting you."

"Maybe you should try talking less then, Eggman!" Sonic taunted right back.

"Let's see how easily you can hit me when there's no ground beneath your feet!"

He turned his drill downwards and began demolishing the ground. It all began to fall away.

"So long, Sonic! Ho ho ho ho!"

He took off into the air, but…

*SMASH*

"What was…?! Oh no!"

Tails was carrying Sonic through the air.

Robotnik growled, "You're lucky your little sidekick can fly."

"Tails is more than a sidekick. Plus, if anything, you oughta be smart enough to remember that he can fly. Ready, Tails?"

"Leave it to me!"

Tails flew up higher, and then Sonic collided with the Mobile again. Before he fell too far, Tails grabbed him again. Sonic swung himself around and hit the Mobile yet again. This time, however, Tails had to pause to catch his breath.

"If only you had your plane, Hedgehog."

"That would be overkill, Eggman," Sonic shot back, "We don't need a plane to take you down."

Tails flew up high yet again, giving Sonic plenty of opportunity to dish out more damage to the Mobile.

"You know," Tails observed, "This Mobile of yours seems to have no offensive capabilities. That drill may have been useful near the ground, but in the air it serves no purpose."

"Well I…"

While the doctor was mulling over that statement, the Mobile took all the damage it could and started to break apart. As it fell…

"You win this round, thanks to your flying freak of a friend, but next time my Mobile will have real offensive capabilities. I made this an easy fight on purpose!"

"Man," Sonic said, "He really talks too much."

Tails nodded in agreement, then said, "I didn't even notice the sun was going down, Sonic. All this flying is making me tired. With both those statements in mind, can we take a break?"

"You've earned it, little bro."

They set down at the edge of what was left of the ruins.

"A nap will both of us good, right, Tails?"

Tails was already out.

Sonic smiled, "Great job, buddy."

 **Meanwhile**

Dr. Robotnik was examining his Egg Mobile and giving it repairs.

"I can't believe this! How could I forget to attach a weapon? On the other hand, how was I supposed to know the battle would take place in the sky?"

Just then, Knuckles popped up from out of the ground.

"Is this all part of your grand plan? First my jungle, and now you destroy a good chunk of these ancient ruins!"

Robotnik hesitated for a few seconds, but then, "Uh…Of course this is all part of my plan!"

"Really?! He's found more of the Chaos Emeralds. What happens when he gets all of them? The whole point was to prevent that."

"What does it matter if he finds them all? You alone know the location of the Master Emerald. We can use that to our advantage. Besides, I think of come up with something that will render the Emeralds a moot point."

Knuckles sighed, "So where are they now?"

"The first three areas they traversed were your territory, Knuckles. Now they've stepped into mine."

"Oh, you mean that thing you built when you got here. Why exactly did you build a place like that?"

"Well…it's good for tourism."

"How are tourists going to get to an island floating in the sky? On top of that, my job is to keep people out!"

Robotnik was getting annoyed, "Look, will you calm down? Just follow them in there and try to sabotage their efforts. We must delay them a bit longer. My main project will be complete by the time they reach my base. Then I'll take care of Sonic for good."

Knuckles still didn't look happy, but he nodded, and then went off in the direction of a lot of bright lights.


	5. Carnival Night (catchy music)

Notes: Da-da Da-da-da-da-da-da, Circus!

Disclaimer: I still don't own the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles

Ch. 5: The Lair of the Barrel of Doom

* * *

Sonic and Tails awoke from their nap, and were very surprised when they saw neon lights everywhere. It was a full-fledged carnival…on Angel Island?

"What is this doing here?" Tails wondered.

"I'll give you three guesses, and the first two don't count," Sonic replied.

"You mean that Eggman built all this?"

"He's always had a thing for amusement park type places. Oh, watch out for the Badnik."

A clam-like Badnik called Clamer was firing at them. Tails smacked it with his tails.

"Let's get a better look at things, buddy."

"I can fly us up."

"No need, pal. Let's use these coincidentally arranged balloons."

Sonic hopped from one balloon to another, popping them as he went.

"Leave it to a hedgehog to pop balloons," Tails said, as he flew to keep up.

As Sonic reached a higher ledge, a swarm of bat-like Badniks called Batbot flew towards him. While similar to the previous Badnik Bat Brain, Batbot differed in that it had a halogen light in place of an actual body. Sonic took out the swarm in a few seconds.

"Badniks can be so rude. I'm trying to get my bearings here."

"Have you sensed an Emerald yet, Sonic? We still need two more."

"Not as such. Let's keep going."

As they went onward…

"Let's try over here, Soniiiiiiiiic!"

Tails was floating through the air.

"How'd you start flying without spinning your tails?"

"These panels contain some sort of anti-gravity device. I can't stop spinning. It's making me dizzy."

"Can you move at all?"

"I think so…yeah…I wonder what that ball thing is?"

*BONG*

Tails was sent flying backwards.

"Okay, this floating ball was very similar to the ones we've been seeing in those pocket dimensions where we've been finding the Emeralds."

"Not to worry, Tails. You just need good timing."

Sonic leapt into the anti-gravity area, grabbed Tails, maneuvered past the balls, and onto solid ground.

"See? Leave it to me. Let's get going."

"Sonic, watch where you're going!"

Sonic blindly leapt into a spinning device.

"Woo-hoo!"

He leapt back off.

"That was a rush! This place is nuts! Let's try something else."

The duo came to a glowing vertical tunnel. Sonic peered inside.

"I wonder what this could…WHOA!

The tunnel sucked Sonic inside and sent him shooting upwards.

"Sure beats an elevator, I guess."

"All these…attractions…are really starting to annoy me, Sonic."

"I think they're kinda fun, but they can wear on you. Hold the phone…I think there's a giant ring around here somewhere."

"Great…so where to?"

Sonic did a quick look around.

"Down this way."

They went on for a bit until Sonic stopped in front of a wall.

"Here we are."

"But this just a…wait, don't tell me, another hidden room?"

"You're catching on, buddy."

Sure enough, hidden behind the fake wall was a giant ring.

 **Special**

"I wonder how these pocket dimensions make all these spheres and such. In fact, I wonder if the Chaos Emeralds create the landscape at random. I can only imagine why these special areas are so different every time we have to collect the Emeralds."

"I'm glad this sort of thing makes you come up with ideas, Tails, but I try not to think about it."

Tails shrugged and kept thinking, so much that he barely noticed they obtained the next Chaos Emerald.

"And with this red Emerald," Sonic said, "We now have six."

*FLASH*

"Only one more to go, buddy."

"Then it should be easy to take care of the doctor."

"That's the plan, Tails."

The floor they were walking on came to a sudden drop. The new floor they landed on was a green and yellow checkerboard pattern. This new floor began to move downwards. From up above came a long green and grey machine.

"Good evening, Sonic." Robotnik's voice called out, "This is my guardian of the area: Bowling Spin. You can't harm it, so don't even try."

The bottom of the machine detached from the main body. It was a small disc that began to hover across the room. Whenever it hit the floor, a chunk of it was destroyed. While avoiding the disc, Sonic tried to dash at the machine, but the only thing that happened was that its core temporarily showed itself. Sonic was about to try to hit the core, but Tails stopped him.

"It's electrified, Sonic," Tails pointed out.

"Then what can we do?" Sonic grumbled.

"I wonder if the fact that its core shows can still be used to our advantage."

"How's that?"

"Well…what about the disc?"

"There's an idea…and we better try it quick before the floor is destroyed completely."

As the disc was headed towards the machine, Sonic hit said machine. The core emerged and the disc hit it, causing damage.

"Another brilliant plan, little bro."

They repeated this strategy until the machine ended up destroying itself.

"Talk about a design flaw," Sonic commented.

As they kept going, they noticed this new section of the carnival had a lot of hidden spikes.

"Let's try this tunnel, Tails. LOOK OUT!"

The entire tunnel was lined with bumpers

"What a rush," Sonic said.

"Look up ahead, Sonic. It's another one of those switches."

"Which can only mean one thing, pal."

As predicted, Knuckles came from out of nowhere.

"You've collected six of the Chaos Emeralds already. I must admit that I'm somewhat impressed."

"You're too kind, knucklehead."

"However, I can't let you go any farther. So…"

He hit the switch and…the lights turned off.

"That's it? You turned off the lights? How is that supposed to stop us?"

"It's a bright night out," Tails added, "So we can see just fine."

"Look," Knuckles explained, "This area is out of my depth. When you make it out of here, I'll try harder. Until then, I'm getting out of here."

He ran off and climbed up the nearest wall.

"Well," Sonic said, "That was certainly something."

So the duo kept moving forward, until…

"Looks like, for whatever reason, this section of the carnival is flooded, Sonic."

Sonic let out a long annoyed sigh. They descended into the water and made their way through the flooded depths. In one tunnel, a series of grenade-like Badniks called Sparkle lined the ceiling and floor. They were flashing and releasing electrical currents. Sonic scowled and took them all out with his insta-shield. With no air pockets to be seen, Tails poked Sonic, miming breathing. Sonic shrugged, not really knowing what to do. That's when they noticed there were balloons underwater. They looked at each other, and both pointed to a balloon. Upon popping a balloon, a bubble came out. They quickly replenished their breath and moved on. Fortunately, the water started to go down.

"What a relief," Sonic said, "Darkness is one thing, but water? What a pain."

"Let's keep moving up, Sonic."

So they ran along more colorful pipes and paths, until they found another switch.

"Lights on!" Sonic declared.

"I guess now we can see better," Tails said.

They ascended up the pathways until they came to…

"What is this thing?" Sonic asked out loud, though he didn't expect an answer.

"It looks like a red and white barrel," Tails replied.

"Well it's in our way. Better figure out how to get past it."

Sonic and Tails jumped on top of the barrel. It kept going up and down.

"Is this all it does?" Sonic said.

"Maybe we need to jump some more?"

The barrel didn't change course.

"Maybe we just need to make it increase its range," Tails suggested, "Let's try moving in time with it."

Now the barrel was moving further up and down.

"Look out, Sonic, or we could get crushed between this barrel and the ceiling."

When the barrel was at its lowest point, they leapt off and continued on their way. Sonic stopped to pick up a lightning shield.

"You never know when you might need one."

They ran on, passing through several tunnels that helped them to pick up speed…at least until they fell down another tunnel. Before they could get their bearings, they noticed another switch.

"Oh, it's you again," Sonic sighed.

"Yes, it's me again," Knuckles replied, "I only came back to do this."

He hit the switch, which caused the tunnel to change direction. Now the duo was propelled upwards. Just up ahead, Dr. Robotnik came into view.

"I hope you enjoyed my carnival, Sonic. Now it's time for you to meet my energy ship: the Graviton Mobile!"

This Mobile was orange, with four green orbs that functioned as generators. On the bottom of the Mobile was a large green globe. Robotnik dropped the globe to the ground and activated the generators. They spun around the Mobile, sucking the heroes towards it.

"Stay back, Tails. I'll handle this."

Sonic struck the Mobile.

"How did you…?!"

"Electricity doesn't work against this shield, Eggman."

Sonic bounced up to deal a few more blows. Robotnik was understandably furious.

"No way! I can't believe this! Not again with these stupid shields."

While he was busy griping to himself, Sonic had demolished the new Mobile.

"I'll get you next time…for real…honestly."

Sonic just shook his head as Robotnik took off. The duo made sure to release the animals in the capsule.

"I'm really glad that's the end of this area, Sonic, but where do we go now?"

"Well I…would you look at that."

They had been so busy; they only just noticed that the sun was rising.

"It's so beautiful, Sonic."

"Look at this, Tails. It's some kind of cannon."

The cannon was round and black.

"Maybe we can use this to get where we're going," Sonic said.

"You want to trust a random cannon?"

"You never know until you try, buddy."

They leapt into the cannon, and it began swinging back and forth.

"Ready, Tails?"

"Not really, no."

"Good. One…two…three!"

*BOOM*

The duo was sent flying into the distance. Who knows wait awaits them next?


	6. IceCap (the first winter theme)

Notes: The first of its kind, but not the last

Disclaimer: I do not own the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise (I'm lucky enough to have found the music)

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles

Ch. 6: The one with the constantly remixed music

* * *

As the dynamic duo (Sonic and Tails that is) flew through the air, the landscape became very bright. The temperature also seemed to be dropping.

"Tails, do you see what I see?"

"I see it, but I almost don't believe it."

They looked at each other, and excitedly shouted, "Snow!"

As the got closer to the ground, that's when Sonic saw something interesting.

"Check it out, Tails, it's a snowboard!"

"Why is there a snowboard randomly on this mountainside?"

"Who cares? I'm there!"

Sonic landed on the snowboard and began descending down the mountainside. He performed stunts, jumps, and tricks, all while gathering power rings. Tails was just trying to keep up while flying. Down the steep incline Sonic sped, through twists and turns, past barren trees, until at last…

"Sonic, look out!"

*WHAM*

Sonic smacked right into a wall. He fell into an icy cavern, but fortunately, the snow beneath him cushioned his fall.

"That wasn't so bad."

Then a mound of snow fell on top of him. Tails rushed over to the pile.

"Sonic, are you okay?"

Sonic jumped out of the snow, "Apart from being a little chilly, I'm fine."

They traversed deeper into the cave. Occasionally they had to deal with Badniks. There was the aptly named Penguinator who tried to slide into them as an attack, and the round ball with four rotating spiky ice balls surrounding it called Star Pointer. Star Pointer slowly launched its spike balls at Sonic, which game him an opportunity to take it out. As they moved on, Sonic grabbed a thunder shield.

"I know," Tails said, "You never know when it'll come in handy."

Sure enough, it did come in handy. They ran into another Star Pointer, but this time, Sonic walked right up to it. The shield instantly destroyed its four spike balls, making it an easy target. Down one corridor, the room was lined with machines that spewed out freezing gas.

"This shouldn't be too difficult," Sonic said…right before he noticed he was standing under one of the machines.

With Sonic in a block of ice, Tails pushed him as fast as he could past the other freeze rays.

"How am I going to…?"

The ice block began to vibrate, and then it broke apart as Sonic freed himself.

"Okay," he said, teeth chattering, "Let's not do that again. Let's go this way."

They both slid down a slippery icy surface. Down they slid, deeper into the ice caverns. They finally landed on some more snow.

"Let's get out of here, Tails."

"Look, Sonic, it's so cold this spring is frozen over."

"A quick bounce will fix that."

That did in fact fix it, since that broke the ice. When they landed on a higher ledge, Sonic paused.

"This is it, Tails, I can feel it."

"The last Emerald? Lead the way!"

They began to ascend the ice cave using well placed springs and ice platforms, and dodging large icy stalactites.

"Right through this wall of ice, Tails."

Sonic spin-dashed through the ice to get at the giant ring.

 **Special**

"I really hope we won't have to come back to these odd special areas again," Tails said.

"I hear you, pal, but you never know. Maybe the next time we come here, they'll change it up a bit."

"I guess so…I'm not sure how, but…"

"Here it is, Tails: the cyan Chaos Emerald. Now we have them all."

"Eggman doesn't stand a chance."

*FLASH*

"Are you going to try and go super?"

"I'll save that for Eggman or one of his clunkers."

There were several platforms attached to long chains up ahead.

"I wonder how these work," Tails said.

"Only one way to find out."

Sonic tried running into the platform, but it barely moved.

"Must have to go faster."

Sonic noticed there was a spring behind him. He charged up a spin-dash, and then hit the spring, which sent him towards the platform, which in turn lifted upwards. Sonic jumped to the next ledge to repeat the process, until at last, they finally reached the top.

"This view is amazing, Sonic," Tails said, "Just look at those ice flows."

"Not to mention those cool mountains. I know exactly what to call this place: IceCap."

"That's very catchy," Robotnik's voice rang out, "Now prepare to meet Big Icedus. This will give you all the ice you could want!"

The machine looked like a compressed snowman. It fired up its three generators, causing eight icy balls to start rotating around it.

"That icy force field will be a problem, Sonic."

"That it will, Tails. Unless…"

Sonic jumped into the air and became Super Sonic!

"Wow! It's as impressive as it was the first time, Sonic," said an awestruck Tails.

"Time to put this to use, buddy."

He charged at the robot and began to slam into it repeatedly until it was scrap metal.

"That must be a new record, Sonic."

"I always get too caught up to keep track, pal. Let's see what else Eggman has in store for us."

Sonic deactivated Super mode, wanting to save it. The duo then went on through the snowy landscape. They sped over hills and through loops that led them back into the icy cave system.

"I think we'd better try to find a way back up, Sonic. There's a lot of freezing water down here."

Sonic shuddered, and then he took a look around.

"Look up there," Sonic said, "Some purple platforms leading to the top of this cave. Now we just have to get up there."

Sonic smirked and motioned for Tails to follow. Sonic spin dashed in place to build speed, and then took off, through loops and across ice platforms, and headed straight for a snowy ramp. It shot him straight up into the air, so he maneuvered himself to land on the purple platform. Tails landed beside him.

"Looks like you have to jump on these platforms to gain momentum, Sonic."

"You fly up there, and I'll do just that."

Tails nodded and flew up, while Sonic used the platforms to be launched higher and higher, until at last he reached the surface. Sonic and Tails paused to once again admire the view.

"Glad you're enjoying the scenery, Sonic," Robotnik said, "With my Freezer Mobile, you'll become part of the ice here."

His Mobile was covered with pipes, and attached to the bottom was an extension ending in platform. Freezing air was shooting out of the Mobile.

"I know for a fact you found the seven Chaos Emeralds, but you can't transform if you can't move."

But Sonic had already transformed into Super Sonic while Robotnik was taunting him. The doctor was in shock.

"You really ought to keep your speeches short, Eggman," Sonic said.

He then proceeded to annihilate the Freezer Mobile.

"You win again, Sonic, but up ahead is my Launch Base. Once you set foot there, I'll be the one in control!"

He high-tailed it out of there, grumbling as he left. Sonic de-activated Super mode again, and then freed the captured animals.

"Looks like we'll finally have to deal with the Death Egg. I'm sure Dr. Eggman will have some of his more powerful creations guarding it."

"That's more than likely, Tails. Still, no matter what he throws at us, we're gonna make sure that Death Egg never gets off the ground. Let's beat feet!"

The pair sped off through a snowbank. As they made their way down the mountain region, the air became warmer. The last of the snow was melting away, and before them laid a vast lake. Sure enough, in the middle of the lake lay the cause of all the trouble: the Death Egg.


	7. Launch Base (end of Sonic 3)

Notes: Good bye, Sonic 3…

Disclaimer: I never have and never will own the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles

Ch. 7: The Halfway Point

* * *

"Sonic," Tails said, "The Death Egg looks like it'll be ready to launch at any minute!"

"Then we've gotta hurry."

No sooner had they moved, they tripped an alarm.

"Okay, that is really annoying!" Sonic shouted.

"Incoming!" Tails cried.

A group of small airplane Badniks called Flybot767 dived at the duo.

"I've got an idea," Sonic said.

He began to spin dash in place, and one by one, the Badniks blindly ran into him and destroyed themselves. Sonic brushed himself off.

"Right, moving on."

Before they could go any further, another Badnik blocked their path. This time it was a floating grey sphere surrounded by four spiked balls, and it was called Orbinaut.

"How can you hit this Badnik?" Tails asked, "Its defenses seem impregnable."

"It's all about timing, pal."

As the Orbinaut moved closer, it began to spin its spiked balls around. Sonic backed up and waited. Suddenly, Sonic rushed forward and did his insta-shield move, destroying the Badnik.

"I see," Tails said, "You waited until there was a gap in his defense."

"Right," Sonic replied, "Now let's see what else this place has in store for us."

There were collapsing platforms, flamethrowers, and numerous spikes. They went inside a building, only to find the walls lined with Badniks called Snail Blaster who opened their shells to fire projectiles. On rails closer to the ground, laser Badniks called Corkey moved back and forth, repeatedly firing their beams.

"Man," Sonic said, "Eggman is definitely not pulling any stops here."

"Well, it is his Launch Base," Tails said, "Of course it would be the most trap-laden area."

Sonic began doing some stretches.

"This might take a while, but it'll be worth it."

 **Meanwhile…**

"Sonic has arrived at your Launch Base," Knuckles growled, "Sonic has the seven Chaos Emeralds, but even without them, he's still carving a path through your forces! What's your brilliant plan now, Doctor?"

Robotnik looked annoyed, "I'm going to set up another special trap for those fools. While I do that, use this bomb on Sonic."

Knuckles looked shocked, "You want me to blow him up?"

"Of course not! As if something so simple could finish off Sonic. No, but I expect you'll find a good place to use it. Besides, even if he does reach the Death Egg, I'll have a surprise waiting for him."

Robotnik began to chuckle to himself, while Knuckles stared at the bomb and shook his head.

"Remind me again why I'm doing this."

"If I recall, at first you thought my masterpiece was part of a prophecy, but after I assured you such was not the case, you spoke of a mural. Is it all coming back now?"

Knuckles gave a sigh of resignation and left.

"That blasted echidna is really starting to grate on me."

*BEEP BEEP*

"What is it?"

"The Death Egg is ready to launch, Doctor."

"Excellent! Just stand by until I give the word."

Robotnik began to laugh.

"All that's required is to slow Sonic down a bit. Time to make a delivery."

He rushed to his Egg Mobile, which was carrying a large container, and took off.

Sonic and Tails, meanwhile, had been avoiding traps and destroying Badniks like crazy. There were also numerous lasers, secret tunnels, and switches that required hitting to progress. A green frog-like Badnik called Ribot swung heavy round weights from chains attached its body. Several of them swung said weights in different angles.

"Man, this is getting annoying," Sonic griped.

"Not to mention tiring," Tails added.

"We'll rest in a bit, buddy. Let's keep moving for now."

Tails nodded in agreement. They kept going, taking zip lines across large gaps, and transportation tubes to get to other areas. As they entered another building, they came upon…

"Eggman!"

The doctor was in his Egg Mobile, still carrying the crate from earlier.

"There you are," Robotnik said, "Wish I could stay, but I'm a bit preoccupied."

He took off upwards quickly.

"Get back here and fight, you big loser!" Sonic shouted.

"Sonic, let's use this platform. It should take us up there."

The platform rotated around a pole, rising with every spin. Once they reach the top, however…

"Not so fast, Hedgehog," Knuckles said.

"We're in a bit of a hurry, knucklehead."

Knuckles said nothing, but then lobbed the bomb down the shaft the duo had come up from. There was a loud explosion, and the building began collapsing. Knuckles ran off, while Sonic and Tails leapt out of their transport and gave pursuit.

"He tried to blow us up!"

"He didn't even aim for us, Sonic," Tails pointed out, "If he really wanted to stop us, why not throw the bomb directly at us?"

"I guess even that gullible idiot has standards."

They headed for the next building. Inside was Robotnik, setting up three large crates. Sonic ran up to the mobile and gave it a smack.

"What the? Oh, drat, you're here already. No matter, I've got your present all set up."

He pressed a button in his mobile and the middle crate opened up. Out came a large, round, grey machine.

"This is Twin Hammer, and it's about to smash you into jelly."

He took off, laughing, "You can't stop the launch, Sonic!"

Twin Hammer extended two spiked balls attached to chains and swung them around.

"Let's try to attack from both sides, Tails."

"Right!"

Twin Hammer seemed focused on Sonic, so Tails hit it when the timing was right, while Sonic himself was dodging the spike balls. After a few hits, the machine lost one of its chains, but made up for it by having its lone chain spin faster. A few more timed hits, and Twin Hammer was no more.

"I wonder why only one of the crates opened?" Tails wondered.

"Who cares?" Sonic replied, "Let's get while the getting is good."

The next area was crawling with pipes. Most of the lower level was covered with water.

"More water?"

"It must be because of the Death Egg being in the middle of the lake," Tails observed.

"There must be a way to bypass this stuff."

"How about this pipe?" Tails suggested.

"Let's hop in and see."

The tunnel took them safely through the water-laden areas, until it deposited them on a high platform.

"What a rush! Happy now, Sonic?" Tails said, trying not to laugh.

"You wouldn't be laughing if there was lightning around here."

Tails shuddered and didn't say anything else. They kept going until they came very close to the Death Egg.

"Not so fast, you imbeciles!" the doctor's voice rang out.

A console rose from the ground in front of the duo, and Robotnik jumped inside. From the section beneath the console, black cannonballs as large as Sonic began shooting out.

"How do you like my Ball Shooter? Stand still so I can flatten you."

"Okay, now I'm annoyed," Sonic said.

He activated Super mode and repeatedly smashed into the console.

"Curse your blasted Super Sonic mode…thing! The Death Egg is taking off now, and you can't stop it!"

He ran to his nearby mobile and departed. Sonic deactivated for now.

"How are we going to catch him now?" Tails asked.

"Look, he left behind a spare mobile. We can use this to reach the Death Egg."

They stepped inside and started to head towards the Death Egg, when from a nearby pillar, Knuckles appeared.

"I won't let you go any further!"

"You're there and we're here, pal," Sonic taunted, "What can you do?"

"Sonic, not so close," Tails warned.

"Why? What's he gonna do?"

Sonic maneuvered too close to Knuckles, and the echidna promptly gave the mobile a strong punch.

Knuckles chuckled, "I told you, you'll go no further."

Just then, the booster rockets activated on the Death Egg.

"Hang on, Tails!"

Knuckles, still standing on a precarious pillar, was losing his balance.

"Look, Knuckles," Sonic called out, "You may not like us, but getting killed isn't worth it. Get out of here now!"

The pillar collapsed and Knuckles fell.

"Don't think you've seen the last of me," he called out, "This is my island, and I'll be back!"

Sonic and Tails went no further until they were sure about that. They kept looking down, and sure enough, Knuckles was gliding down safely.

"That was close," Tails said, "He may be against us, but I'm glad he's okay."

"Yeah, same here…I guess. Now let's get to that platform thing beneath the Death Egg."

They headed there, and just as they reached it , the mobile lost power.

"Man," Sonic said, "Cheap design."

"Clearly he cuts costs on that particular mobile," Tails said, "He wanted us to follow him."

"Of course I did!"

A large rocket rose from beneath the platform.

"This is my Beam Rocket, and you're in for a shock!"

The rocket had four rotating lasers, and an electric ball circling the cockpit.

"Time to finish this," Sonic said.

He re-activated Super mode and annihilated the rocket.

"You think you're unstoppable with your Super mode, but this time, I've come prepared!"

A new mobile emerged from seemingly nowhere. It had spikes on top, and two large arms. Robotnik hopped inside, laughing as he did so.

"This is one of my best creations, if I do say so myself. You're no match for my Big Arm!"

"Real creative name, Eggman."

Robotnik growled as the two massive arm slammed into the ground. Sonic dodged and hit the rather limited target area.

"Lucky hit! Just try that once more!"

"You don't have to tell me twice."

Sonic rushed at Big Arm, but as he leapt at it, the two massive hands grasped him like a ball. Robotnik squeezed him for a bit, then raised the arms high, and slammed Sonic to the ground, very hard. To the duo's surprise, Sonic reverted out of Super mode and lay on the ground. Tails, thinking fast, began grabbing power rings.

"Did someone get the license plate of that truck?" Sonic said, staggering to his feet.

"Oh ho ho ho ho ho! I told you I was prepared! Even your Super mode can't stand against my Big Arm. Now why not let me crush you like a bug?"

Tails began to shake Sonic by the shoulders.

"Snap out of it, Sonic," Tails cried, "Here's some power rings. You've got to finish that thing off before the Death Egg gets too high up."

Sonic shook his head, "You're right, pal. I don't even need Super mode to defeat this thing."

"Hey! I can hear you! Put your money where your mouth is, Hedgehog!"

The doctor then used an arm to slam the ground, but the duo dodged it. Sonic waited for Robotnik to get closer, and then hit the cockpit again.

"You little…"

He rushed at Sonic, who leapt over at the right moment to avoid the spikes. Robotnik quickly spun around to swipe at Sonic with his arms. Sonic dashed just out of reach. Now that Sonic was past the whole "getting knocked out of Super mode" thing, he effortlessly dodged every attack, all while getting in a few of his own.

"I've come too far to let you stop me, you blue buffoon!"

Sonic was charging up a spin dash, "Sorry, but stopping you is my job, Eggman."

He went flying into the mech, the forceful impact sent it flying backwards into one of the Death Egg's boosters.

"No, not again!"

The Death Egg began to descend. Robotnik charged the Big Arm at Sonic.

"You're going to pay for this!"  
As he got close, he could see the look of panic on the duo's faces…which then turned to smirks as they jumped out of the way. Robotnik was now headed for another booster.

"Oh, I should've thought this through."

*SMASH*

The Death Egg was now falling, and so was Robotnik. He quickly jettisoned from his mech. The underside platform Sonic and Tails were on detached from the impacts.

"Let's get out of here, Sonic. Ready for an airlift?"

"Does it come with chili dogs?"

Tails rolled his eyes as he grabbed hold of Sonic and took off.  
"My beautiful creation," Robotnik lamented, "I…wait a minute."

The Death Egg had fallen back onto the Floating Island, but this time it landed inside a volcano.

"Ha ha! There's still a chance to get it repaired again. So long, suckers!"

Sonic and Tails were silent for a minute as Robotnik zoomed off into the distance.

"So…the Death Egg is still intact," Tails said, "You know something, Sonic? This bites."

"Yes, little bro, it does. However, that just means the adventure continues. Let's set down in that forest area and recuperate."

They landed and surveyed the immediate area.

"Looks safe enough," Sonic said, "Let's catch forty winks, and then we can keep going."

"Good idea, Sonic."

 **Meanwhile**

"Hurry up and get a team down there and start repairs on the Death Egg! There are even less damages, so it ought to be quick."

"Right away, Doctor," one of his robotic servants complied.

"Naturally, I made sure to cover my bases in case this happened. I've already sent out Badniks to scour the other half of the island. How are my projects coming?"

"The upgrades have been installed to the two special projects."

"Excellent."

"We have taken care of the problem in the pyramid."

"Finally."

"Flying Battery is in full operation."

"Good, good."

"Your new mech is complete. However, it still needs a power source. Your specifications were to not install one."

"That's because once I find the Master Emerald, I'll have all the power I need."

He started to cackle to himself, but stopped to ask, "Oh, by the way, where's that echidna guy?"

"He has not been seen since the attempt at Launch Base."

Right then, Knuckles came storming inside.

"We were just talking about you," Robotnik said in an annoyed tone, "So nice of you to finally join us, so-called guardian. Don't you realize Sonic has obtained all seven Chaos Emeralds?"

"For someone who claims to be a genius," Knuckles shot back, "you're the one who let him wreck your machine."

"A minor setback, I assure you. Unlike the whole Emerald thing, which definitely isn't my fault."

"He may have the Chaos Emeralds, but he won't get the Super Emeralds."

"The what now? Super Emeralds…? That doesn't sound nearly as cool as Chaos Emeralds."

"The Super Emeralds have been kept hidden alongside the Master Emerald. No one has ever obtained them. When he tries to take advantage of the giant power rings, his Chaos Emeralds will be powerless."

"So…no more Super Sonic?"

"No."

"Well…good…but I suggest you actually get back out there and make sure things go according to plan."

"I intend to do just that," and he left as quickly as he had arrived.

"All that guy ever seems to do is complain. Now where are my sandwiches!?"

"Coming right up, Doctor."


End file.
